VIJAYAWADA: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday evening transferred Chief Secretary Anil Chandra Punetha to a non-election post and appointed the senior-most IAS officer in the government, LV Subramanyam (1983 batch) in his place. LV Subrahmanyam is currently serving as special chief secretary (sports and youth affairs).
The ECI move comes just days after it summoned Punetha to seek an explanation for defying its orders transferring Intelligence DG AB Venkateswara Rao. Rao was transferred to the police headquarters and relieved of all poll-related duties on March 26 following complaints from the YSR Congress that he was acting in a biased manner favouring the ruling TDP. The SPs of Kadapa and Srikakulam too were shunted out along with him.
The same night, Punetha issued a GO complying with the ECI orders, but the next afternoon, issued another GO cancelling the transfer of the intelligence DG, sparking a major controversy and inviting allegations that he did so at the behest of the government and on the advice of DGP RP Thakur. The State police chief had met Punetha just before the latter issued the controversial GO.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and the TDP objected to the ECI orders, claiming it had no jurisdiction to transfer an Intelligence DG "who has nothing to do with elections." Subsequently, the State government moved the High Court challenging the ECI order. But with the court refusing to interfere, Punetha was forced to scrap the controversial GO and transfer the intelligence DG.
LV Subrahmanyam, the new chief secretary, is senior to Punetha by a year but wasn't made the chief secretary by the Naidu government despite his efficiency and honesty. Perhaps the reason for it was the case filed against him by the CBI in the multi-crore Emaar properties scam that emerged under the YS Rajasekhara Reddy regime. He was accused of helping Emaar get 535 acres of land at a throwaway price. However, in January last year, the high court acquitted him as it found no evidence of wrong-doing on his part.
Meanwhile, the fate of DGP RP Thakur remains unclear. He was summoned by the ECI on Thursday and was asked to stay back on Friday. As TNIE reported, the DGP was asked about his meeting with Punetha prior to the issuance of the controversial GO, his handling of YSRC leader YS Vivekananda Reddy murder case, and importantly, what made him advise the chief secretary to defy the poll body's directives.
Sources told TNIE the DGP presented his version in front of the full EC board before returning to Vijayawada on Friday afternoon. There are speculations that if at all action is going to be taken against the DGP, the ECI would crack the whip in a couple of days.